E-cigarette explodes in man’s pocket, causing second degree burns

A Texas man has been left with second degree burns after his e-cigarette battery exploded in his pants pocket.

The incident was caught on CCTV footage, showing Andy Veal dropping to the floor at his work place after a small explosion emanated from his pocket area. Unfortunately for him, he was unable to remove the combusting battery, resulting in his hands and thighs being burnt quite badly.

“My pants were on fire and I couldn’t get out of my pants fast enough. I was on fire,” Andy Veal told Eyewitness News.

He was since rushed to hospital and treated for first and second degree burns.

Photo: ABC13

Photo: ABC13

Photo: ABC13

Veal said he started vaping after giving up cigarettes 4 years ago. He was glad the incident did not happen while he was driving, and wants the matter to be looked into.

“It shouldn’t happen and I’d like to look into why it happened and how they can prevent it in the future.”

E-cigarettes batteries come in different chemical varieties including manganese, lithium-ion, iron, cobalt, and nickel. There were no details about the battery type in this case, but as most tend to use a lithium-ion variant, it’s not hard to see why things like this happen.

While Veal isn’t going to give up on vaping just yet, he said that he would avoid putting his e-cig in his pockets to avoid a repeat incident like this.